April 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County) - An attorney representing Quail Brush Genco, a subsidiary of Carlyle Infrastructure Partners, has submitted a letter to the California Energy Commission's siting committee today. The letter requests a one-year suspension of consideration on the proposed gas-fired Quail Brush power plant near Mission Trails Regional Park.
The announcement was hailed as "good news" in an e-mail from Preserve Wild Santee sent to opponents of the project, which has generated widespread community opposition.
Angels of Hope, serving Chaldean and Arabic communities in El Cajon, is among recent loan recipients fulfilling a dream
April 8, 2013 (El Cajon)—An El Cajon woman’s goal of providing trauma counseling to refugees in East County has been fulfilled, thanks to Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo, a leading lender to women- and diverse-owned businesses, recently announced a commitment to lend $55 billion to woman-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2020.
As part of that commitment, the company has provided a commercial real estate loan for licensed clinical social worker Bernadette Talia to purchase office space in El Cajon to house her new Angels of Hope Counseling practice.
Talia, who is trilingual and specializes in trauma counseling, is fulfilling a vast need in the East County community, as many residents are refugees from the Middle East and have suffered traumatic life experiences. Now she will be able to provide affordable counseling and services to individuals and families. Talia’s goal isn’t to just reach the approximate 30,000 Chaldean’s living in El Cajon, but to the whole Arabic speaking community, treating their specific mental health needs.
April 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- The California Department of Forest and Protection (CALFIRE) has requested that the state Board of Equalization (BOE) temporarily postpone the $150 State Responsibility Area (SRA) fee collection after receiving tens of thousands of appeals by homeowners contending that the fee was incorrectly assessed.
Surplus expected to grow to $12.7 million under little oversight, legislators contend
April 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee), Senator Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield), and 29 Republican legislators have requested the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approve an audit of the Dealers Record of Sale (DROS) Special Account of the General Fund. The DROS Account is funded by fees paid by individuals who purchase or register firearms in California. Generally, a DROS fee is paid by a buyer to a firearms dealer at the time of purchase. The dealer is required to remit the fee to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to cover the cost of performing a background check on the purchaser.
April 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County)-- The CHP has shut down I-8 westbound at the Ocotillo grade to high-profile vehicles due to heavy winds. In addition, heavy fog is reported in Japatul Valley on I-8 east of Alpine. Use caution if you must drive in these areas.
April 8, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) – On May 8, County Supervisors will hear a controversial wind ordinance that would make it easier to build wind turbines in some areas of East County.
But this Wednesday, April 10, the agenda will include a proposal by Supervisor Dianne Jacob for staff to develop a comprehensive renewable energy plan including options to integrate the proposed wind ordinance into a renewable energy plan, as well as examining options such as the San Diego Energy Foundation's proposal with emphasis on rooftop solar. Supervisors meet at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Coast Highway in San Diego. If approved, staff would then have several weeks to come back with proposed language.
April 8, 2013 (Alpine) – Eight grave markers for veterans were stolen from the Alpine Cemetery on April 4, the Alpine Community Network reports. The plaques, each 24 x 12 inches and an inch thick, are solid brass. The stolen markers were located near the cemetery exit on Victoria Drive.
April 8, 2013 (El Cajon ) – In Babylon 7,313 years ago, Chaldea became the first nation to celebrate Akitu, a New Year Festival heralding the arrival of spring and the renewal of life. Yesterday the tradition continued in El Cajon’s Prescott Promenade Park, where thousands of local Chaldeans turned out to celebrate the ancient tradition. View a video: http://youtu.be/YfeKE22-wXw
“We are doing it to celebrate and have some fun with other, and to keep remembering,” Wissam Gello, a local Iraqi Chaldean told ECM. “Our children will keep doing this every year, to remember and tell the truth.”
West Hills High School teacher and East County resident Laura Preble has authored a new book, Out, which turns society inside out. The book’s publication is well-timed to coincide with the Supreme Court hearing two cases about gay marriage, because at the heart of her book is an alternate universe in which being gay and same-sex married is the norm and being straight, or as the book puts it, “perpendicular” is the aberration.
April 7, 2013 (Jamul) --Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) announced Friday that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries and the Jamul Indian Village (“the Tribe”) have entered into definitive agreements to jointly develop a Hollywood-branded casino and resort on the Tribe’s trust land in San Diego’s East County.
The proposed $360 million development would include a three-story gaming and entertainment facility of approximately 200,000 square feet featuring at least 1,700 slot machines, 50 live table games including poker, multiple restaurants, bars and lounges and a partially enclosed parking structure with over 1,900 spaces.
April 7, 2013 (Julian) – This photo taken by Nadin Abbott in Julian stumped our staff initially when we were asked to identify the bird with dramatic black and white markings.
Fortunately, our “Bird Talk” columnist Greg Dunne checked with experts and confirmed that this beautiful bird in flight is Acorn Woodpecker.
April 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning in effect from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 p.m. Monday evening. Gusts of up to 70 miles per hour with sustained winds of 25-35 mph are forecast for mountain , desert, valley and coastal areas in San Diego County.
Strongest winds are expected on Monday. Expect blowing sand and dust in desert areas that will reduce visibility. Driving may be difficult in windy areas, particularly for high-profile vehicles. Be watchful for broken tree limbs; property damage is possible. In coastal areas, winds will bring hazardous conditions for small craft, high surf and strong rip currents.
April 7, 2013 (San Diego) Updated April 8 with statement by Evolution Hospitality—East County residents and Congressman Juan Vargas (D-51), whose district includes the border areas in East County, turned out yesterday in support of low wage workers staging a hunger strike at the Mission Valley Hilton. Vargas spoke with ECM on immigration reform and how it applies to this situation.
The workers want the right to organize a union and collectively bargain for a labor contract. Employees contend that management is using immigration status to selectively threaten union organizers—while at the same time outsourcing housekeepers’ work to undocumented workers paid more than long-time employees.
April 7, 2013 (Ramona)--If you've ever wondered what an artist's studio looks like, now is your opportunity to see for yourself. During the Ramona Open Studios Tour, artists in Ramona will open their studios to curious visitors, inviting them to talk, check out how they work, and buy artwork if they're interested.
The Ramona area is home to many nationally known and award winning artists featured on the tour. The 10th annual tour will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
April 7, 2013 (San Diego)--On March 26 and 27, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two major cases over whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
On March 26 they heard arguments on whether Proposition 8, which California voters passed in November 2008 to short-circuit the ruling of the California Supreme Court that the state’s constitution did not allow it to deny marriage to same-sex couples, is unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The next day they heard the case of Edith Windsor, who legally married her long-term partner, Thea Spyer, in Canada in 2007, then got socked with a federal estate tax bill of $367,000 because the federal government didn’t recognize her marriage under the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DoMA) passed by Congress in 1996.
The two cases rest on somewhat different legal issues, and it’s quite possible the court could throw out Proposition 8 and uphold DoMA — or vice versa — but the underlying issues are the same.
April 11, 2013 (Poway) – A head-on collision in Poway on April 8 at 3:02 p.m. has caused serious injury. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash on Metate Lane at Alpine Drive.
According to the Sheriff, a preliminary investigation found that the driver of a sedan traveling westbound fell asleep at the wheel and drove into the eastbound lanes, colliding head-on with an oncoming sport utility vehicle (SUV). Both drivers were taken to a hospital. The sedan driver suffered non-life-threatening but serious injuries. The SUV driver suffered minor injuries. Both were released from the hospital a short time later.
Metate Lane was closed for two hours. DUI is not suspected as a factor.
By Tom Myers, Alpine Community Planning Group Circulation Committee
Is your pavement all cracked up because of the Powerlink construction? Is the ride home rougher than it should be on your car suspension? We want to hear from YOU!
At the next meeting of the Alpine Community Planning Group Circulation Subcommittee we will discuss roads that were damaged by SDG&E heavy trucks and equipment but not yet resurfaced. You may recall that SDG&E representatives promised us at several ACPG meetings that they would restore any damage to Alpine area roadways caused by their operations. Now that their work is done, many of us have been waiting for the repairs.
April 11, 2013 (San Diego) – I can remember the first time I experienced a Papal conclave. No, it wasn’t a real one; it was the one depicted in the 1969 film The Shoes of the Fisherman. It’s about a Ukrainian archbishop, Kiril (Anthony Quinn), who was tortured in the Gulag, gets summoned to Rome, is made a cardinal and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a conclave when the Pope who appointed him dies. The conclave deadlocks and Kiril is elected Pope as a compromise candidate, then uses his new-found powers to mediate an end to the Cold War and ward off a military threat to the West from China. It was based on a novel by Morris L. West, a potboiler author of religious books, and though it wasn’t much as a movie I found the depiction of the rituals of the conclave absolutely stunning — particularly the repeated puffs of black smoke signaling that the cardinals hadn’t yet reached the two-thirds majority for picking a Pope.
April 11, 2013 (Alpine) – The Alpine Women’s Club invites you to its “Gold Party” fundraiser on Wednesday, April 17 from 5-7 p.m. at 2156 Alpine Boulevard in Alpine. You can get cash for your unwanted jewelry items. The Gold Refinery will be buying your old, out-dated and mismatched gold, silver and platinum jewelry.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Judy Grant at (619) 445-1987 or email alpinejude@yahoo.com
April 6, 2013 – (New York, NY) – Hot on the heels of sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall and the Pantages Theatre, and as they come off a hugely successful Latin American run, the Jonas Brothers will embark on their first North American tour in three years this summer as they hit cities across the U.S. and Canada with what will prove to be an epic concert experience for their fans. The “Jonas Brothers Live Tour” will take the band to more than 25 stops across North America, including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Toronto. The tour announcement comes on the same day the group debuts its hot new single, “Pom Poms,” a new anthem that redefines their sound with an upbeat mix of pop and rock.
April 6, 2013 (San Diego State University) – This morning at 2:03 a.m., two SDSU students were confronted by two robbers armed with handguns. The victims were on Cuicacalli Walk near the Cuicacalli front desk. The thieves stole wallets, a cell phone, ATM cards and a backpack.
The suspects, both African-American men in their late 20s, were last seen running toward College Avenue. The first suspect was about 6 feet 2 inches tall with an athletic build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with red SDSU lettering on the front. The second suspect was about 6 feet 3 inches tall with a thin build and thick eyebrows; he was wearing a black beanie.
April 5, 2013(Lakeside)— The Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) team has found 3-month-old Arisa Van Goerlitz safe tonight at 7:30 p.m. following a massive search in Lakeside. Searchers spent hours combing an area along the San Diego River bed including transient camps before locating the infant and her aunt, Deborah Ann Fowler, who has been arrested.
“The baby is okay,” Sergeant Greg Hampton of the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s station told media at the scene. “She is being evaluated by the Fire Department.” The baby was later transported to Grossmont Hospital for evaluation. The child is now in the hands of Child Protective Services and has been taken to the Polinsky’s Children Center.
The infant girl was reported missing this morning by her grandmother, Joyce Matyas, in Spring Valley at around 11:30.
April 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – As darkness nears, a search intensifies for a woman suspected of abducting a 3-week-old baby, her niece, from the 9100 block of Valencia Street in Spring Valley, the Sheriff’ s office has confirmed.
A black SUV belonging to the suspect, Deborah Ann Fowler, 46, was found abandoned in the 10000 block of Vine Street in Lakeside. A multil-agency search team is scouring banks of the San Diego Riverbed including transient camps.
According to ECM news partner 10 News, the child's grandmother has custody of the infant, Anissa Von Goerlitz. She told deputies she awoke after a nap around 11:30 to find the child missing and believed the three-week-old baby may have been taken without permission by an aunt. The aunt's vehicle was seen in Lakeside.
April 5, 2013 (Julian) At this morning’s meeting of the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District board held at the Women’s Club, the Board voted 2-2 (with one unexcused absence) on the proposal to join the County Fire Authority and dissolve the District. Chairman Jack Shelver and Alan Marvin voted yes; Aida Tucker and Janet Bragdon voted no.
This means, according to Shelver, that “a tie is no action, and therefore we have taken no action, on the motion we have set in motion. We are no longer talking to the County about a contract and we will continue as an independent district.” At this announcement, the crowd, 50 strong, broke into cheers.
April 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) --The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers from April 7 until June 15, including the Ramona Airport and Brown Field locally. The agency says the extra time will allow the FAA to try and resolve multiple legal challenges to the closures.
“The FAA delay is not good enough,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said in a press statement issued this morning. “U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today that safety is the FAA’s top priority. If that was the case, the federal government shouldn’t even be talking about pulling air controllers out of Ramona. The tower is on the front line of public safety in our region, and closing it would a disaster, especially as we approach the height of the wildfire season.”
April 5, 2013 (El Cajon) – The ancient Babylonians celebrated the New Year during the spring equinox with an 11-day festival. On Sunday, April 7, Iraqi Chaldeans—descendants of the Babylonians-- will host Akitu, a Chaldean New Year celebration.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 3-8 p.m. in Prescott Premenade Park. Chaldean live music and folkloric dance will be featured; food and beverages will also be available.
April 5, 2013 (Spring Valley)--The Lemon Grove Sheriff's Station wants your help in finding two men who tried to kidnap a 17-year-old girl in Spring Valley just before 11 a.m. yesterday. According to the Sheriff, the teen girl was walking near the intersection of Kenwood Drive and Campo Road when she was approached by two African-American men. The suspects drove up in an older burgundy four-door car and offered her a ride saying: "Hey beautiful, need a ride?"
The girl declined. The passenger then got out of the car and grabbed the victim from her arm and shoulders in an attempt to get her into the car. The girl fought him off and ran away. The suspects were last seen driving westbound on Campo Road, toward the Wendy's. The girl suffered minor injuries.No weapon was used during the attempted kidnapping.
April 4, 2013 (Ramona) --The San Diego Sheriff's office has issued a safety reminder for hikers planning to visit Cedar Creek Falls, where the long-closed trail from Ramona will be reopened tomorrow and a new permit system will take effect. Below is the Sheriff's statement:
The west access to Cedar Creek Falls in Ramona will reopen Friday, April 5th with new rules after being closed since July 2011. Hikers are now required to pay for a visitor permit. Only 75 permits for individuals and/or groups of up to five people are available each day by reservation. The permit costs six dollars. To reserve a permit, visit www.recreation.gov. This online permit system will be available starting April 5th.
Groundbreaking celebrates start of major new facility to serve East County community
By Miriam Raftery
April 4, 2013 (La Mesa) – “This is an incredible day for East County,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said at Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new Heart and Vascular Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “As our aging population in East County grows, there is a growing need for a heart and cardiac center that is state of the art,” added Jacob, who quipped, “Some of us may be lining up at the door.”
For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to 
April 11, 2013 (Poway) – A head-on collision in Poway on April 8 at 3:02 p.m. has caused serious injury. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash on Metate Lane at Alpine Drive.
By Tom Myers, Alpine Community Planning Group Circulation Committee
By Mark Gabrish Conlan
April 11, 2013 (Alpine) – The Alpine Women’s Club invites you to its “Gold Party” fundraiser on Wednesday, April 17 from 5-7 p.m. at 2156 Alpine Boulevard in Alpine. You can get cash for your unwanted jewelry items. The Gold Refinery will be buying your old, out-dated and mismatched gold, silver and platinum jewelry.
April 6, 2013 – (New York, NY) – Hot on the heels of sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall and the Pantages Theatre, and as they come off a hugely successful Latin American run, the Jonas Brothers will embark on their first North American tour in three years this summer as they hit cities across the U.S. and Canada with what will prove to be an epic concert experience for their fans. The “Jonas Brothers Live Tour” will take the band to more than 25 stops across North America, including Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Toronto. The tour announcement comes on the same day the group debuts its hot new single, “Pom Poms,” a new anthem that redefines their sound with an upbeat mix of pop and rock.
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